The NBA trade deadline is fast approaching, and the Boston Celtics are one of the hottest names in the rumor mill right now. A lot of the talk is on which players the Celtics should or could acquire in trades, but which players on the C’s roster are other teams most wanting to trade for?
Boston doesn’t have a roster full of high-quality trade assets outside of their big names, but there are several players who have some sneaky good value. Obviously, guys like Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown have the most trade value on this team, but those two especially aren’t on the market.
What about the Celtics’ other players, though?
Most of Boston’s younger players don’t have the trade value to really get something of quality in return in a trade, and the front office still sees a lot of upside in players like Aaron Nesmith, Grant Williams, Carsen Edwards, and the rest. Trading them doesn’t seem as likely as others.
So which players on Boston’s roster have the most trade value outside of the obvious? We’ve already looked at which Celtics players are most likely to be traded, so now let’s take a look at which players could garner the most attention who are actually trade options. This doesn’t mean these players will be traded, but they would likely warrant a more sizeable return from interested teams.
Boston Celtics SG/SF Marcus Smart
Though his offense isn’t the most eye-catching, Marcus Smart is still viewed as a big piece of Boston’s core thanks to his tenacious defense and his fiery spirit. As the trade deadline looms, however, Smart is looking more and more appealing on the trade market.
With reports surfacing that the Atlanta Hawks are interested in acquiring Smart, the Celtics could be persuaded to dish their starting guard, especially if someone like John Collins is involved in the trade.
The 27-year-old will be an unrestricted free agent in 2022, and he’s performing arguably at his best as a Celtic right now with a Player Efficiency Rating of 14.8 — a career-high — while averaging 12.6 points, 5.4 assists, 2.7 rebounds, and 1.6 steals all while missing time due to injury.
The two-time NBA All-Defensive performer has seen his stock rise over the last couple seasons, but with Kemba Walker finally starting to play a little more consistently and Payton Pritchard still logging useful minutes, is now the time to try and flip Smart?
His trade value has risen, but Brad Stevens and the Celtics’ players seem to really like Smart. The deal would have to be pretty sweet to send him out of Boston.